Results 1-20 of 2,213 for long speaker:Heather Humphreys

Seanad: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Second Stage (28 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...them could arise here. First, on the issue of allowing AE participants to opt out of the scheme, an initial six-month period of mandatory participation was chosen because the period needs to be sufficiently long in order that participants can see a rise in the value of their fund as contributions are made each pay period. I also believe that when they see this, they will not want to opt...

Seanad: Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill 2024: Second Stage (28 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...including representatives of small and medium enterprises, as well as members of the public. It was as a result of those consultations, and in response to the concerns of employers, that we decided to elongate the phasing-in of the contribution rates. Auto-enrolment, AE, is a positive thing for many employers because the availability of an occupational pension in a place of employment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (28 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 319 together. My Department provides a suite of income supports to those who cannot work due to illness or disability, including COVID-19 and long COVID. Eligibility for these payments is generally not dependent on the type of illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (28 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...to have an Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund undertaken at five yearly intervals. The purpose of the review is to determine the extent to which the Fund may be expected, in the long term, to meet the demands in respect of payment of benefits and other payments. The review takes account of the adequacy or otherwise of contributions to support benefits and other payments as...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (28 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...provision for people who have been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years (1040 weeks). If the person concerned has been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years, they can apply for long-term carers contributions (LTCC). If the criteria are met, the equivalent of paid contributions may be attributed to cover gaps in their contribution record. The periods of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (23 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...) including a provision for people who have been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years (1040 weeks). If the person concerned has been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years, they can apply for long-term carers contributions (LTCC). If the criteria are met, the equivalent of paid contributions may be attributed to cover gaps in their contribution record....

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (23 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...in their own right (other than unemployment payments or supplementary welfare allowance) or are being claimed as a qualified adult on their spouse/partner's payment, CA can be paid at half-rate as long as all the normal conditions for receipt of CA are satisfied. The person concerned has been in receipt of half-rate CA since 18 April 2019 as they were also in receipt of a primary payment...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Pension Provisions (23 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...people who have been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years (1040 weeks). If the person concerned has been caring for incapacitated dependents for over 20 years, they can apply for long-term carers contributions (LTCC). If the criteria are met, the equivalent of paid contributions may be attributed to cover gaps in their contribution record. The periods of caregiving do...

Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Systems Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (22 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: .... It took 25 years to get this far, so I compliment everyone on helping me to get it to this point. I particularly thank my officials because this was a massive piece of work. It is a very long Bill. There is a great deal going on behind the scenes as we speak. I really thank those involved and the joint committee, which put a lot of work into its deliberations. We were able to take...

Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Systems Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (22 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: .... The amendment changes the word "may" to "shall". In effect, it means that when an investment manager is investing funds provided by the new authority, he or she must take into account the potential long-term impact of investment decisions on environmental, social and governance factors. The wording of the Bill currently makes that optional and we are moving towards making it...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...). The diet supplement scheme was discontinued for new applicants from 1 February 2014 based on this evidence. Recipients continue to receive the diet supplement at their existing rate of payment for as long as they continue to have an entitlement to the scheme or until their circumstances change. This ensured that nobody was immediately worse off by the closure of the scheme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed people make PRSI contributions at Class S which does not provide entitlement for illness benefit. In cases where an illness may continue for a prolonged period, disability allowance and invalidity pension are long-term illness related payments which might be more suitable. Illness benefit is funded by the Social Insurance Fund through...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Correspondence (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...a schedule of activities, including relevant training and educational programmes to assist them in finding full-time sustainable employment. For the purposes of the Intreo Partners service all long-term unemployed jobseekers on the Live Register are categorised into groups based on their duration of unemployment (e.g. 1- 2 years, 2 – 3 years etc.). All jobseekers who have been...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Rates (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Age-related reduced rates apply to jobseekers aged 18 to 24 years and were introduced to prevent long-term welfare dependency by encouraging participation in training and employment programmes. Budget 2024 increased the maximum personal rate for a young adult to €141.70 per week from January 2024. There were 9,345 jobseekers on age related reduced rates in April 2024. The...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household. The Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income. The estimated cost of including the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (21 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...foster carer is not in receipt of Child Benefit, they can still qualify for Homemaker’s Scheme or HomeCaring Periods provided the caring periods are confirmed by Tusla. Despite these measures, some long-term carers of incapacitated dependents may still face barriers in accessing the State Pension (Contributory). They may for example have difficulty establishing the minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (16 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...of specific benefits. In 2023, my Department ran a public information campaign specifically for those who have either cared for, or are currently caring for, a family member or loved one on a long-term basis to learn about changes being made to their State Pension Contributory entitlements. In 2022 we ran a campaign aimed at increasing take up of the Working Family Payment, and this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Like the Deputy, I have engaged with the families of the victims of this terrible atrocity. I know some of them extremely well. It has been a long journey and a difficult time for them. As the Tánaiste said, we need to look at this issue once again and try to get access to the files. I take on board what the Deputy said.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...very strongly. He has advocated for Scoil Chormaic in Cashel previously. As I said earlier, we all have the experience, in representing our constituents, of meeting parents who are waiting too long for an assessment of their children's needs and for the therapies they need. We have to do all we can to relieve the pressure. The Taoiseach has established a new Cabinet committee on...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...issue. I know it is one on which both he and I are committed to seeing progress. In representing our constituents, we all have had the experience of meeting parents who have been waiting for too long for the assessment of their children's needs - both of us have done that - and unfortunately, then for the therapies they also need. We must do all we can to relieve the pressure on these...